(Mulu G)<\/p>\n
The Ethiopian Ministry of Farming is calling for a donation of $20 million USD to feed those severely affected by hunger. In a press conference held on November 24, 2010, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister d\u2019Etat Mitiku Kassa announced that the number of people requiring food assistance has decreased to 2.3 million.<\/p>\n
The minister apologized for failing to collect sufficient data from the Amhara and other regions, and revealed that 29.2% of those requiring food aid are from the Somali region, with an additional 29% coming from the Tigray region. The Oromiya region reportedly contributes 26.3% of the people requiring food aid.<\/p>\n
The minister d\u2019\u00e9tat also noted that there has been sufficient rainfall in recent years, which has made the land increasingly suitable for farming. This, he said, increased harvests and decreased the number of people reliant on food donations.\u00a0 Yet sources within the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development\u00a0 Disaster Response Directorate indicate that, contrary to what is being reported by the ministry, the overall number of beneficiaries in the safety-net \u201cFood for Work\u201d program has rather increased by 300,000 this year.<\/p>\n
According to these sources, the number of people included in the Food for Work project increased from 7.5 to 7.8 million people.\u00a0 Sources suggest that the reason for this rise in number is because regions formerly excluded from the program, like Afar and Somali, are now facing severe food shortages.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany are in need of immediate food provisions every year,\u201d say the sources. The sources also disclose that, according to a survey conducted earlier this year, there are 5.2 million people who are in need of daily food support.<\/p>\n
Rainfall during the 2002\/2003 Ethiopian year was relatively high in the areas affected by severe food shortages, Yet the government\u2019s rosy conclusions are premature.\u00a0 The projected figure of 2.3 million people in need of food aid is\u00a0 wildly exaggerated at best, since data from several regions has yet to be collected.<\/p>\n
Since1993 a national disaster prevention and preparedness policy has been in effect with the aim of reducing the number of deaths due to natural and man made disasters. Found ineffective, it was restructured under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development\u00a0 in 2007.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(Mulu G) The Ethiopian Ministry of Farming is calling for a donation of $20 million USD to feed those severely affected by hunger. In a press conference held on November 24, 2010, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister d\u2019Etat Mitiku Kassa …<\/p>\n